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In Asia, salaries for property professionals are declining.

According to a new research, Malaysia led the way in terms of compensation increases for property professionals in the previous year. However, average salaries in Asia fell 3.4 percent in 2013, to US$96,087 per year. Car

The main reason for the loss was a reduction in some of the highest-paying jobs, such as executive director, managing director, chief financial officer, and chief operational officer. Their incomes were cut in half, from US$235,344 to US$185,000.

Those at the bottom of the totem pole fared much better, with 56 percent of respondents saying they received a raise in the previous year. However, people received lower bonuses (an average of US$25,693, down 11 percent) and fewer people (32 percent, down from 46 percent) received them this year.

The average take-home compensation for a real-estate professional in Asia was US$140,874 after salary, bonuses, and other perks. That was also down somewhat from last year, because to a drop in additional sweeteners such as housing allowances and options, as well as lower salaries.

Surprisingly, respondents indicate that the correct mindset and outstanding communication skills are the most crucial qualities in getting to the top of a firm. Professional qualifications, as well as the attributes of being a self-starter and the capacity to work independently, were far down the list.

With an average base salary of US$138,400, China has the highest-paying positions in the area, a reflection of the difficulty of operating in a somewhat opaque business and in a nation where the ability to understand Putonghua, also known as Mandarin Chinese, is required.

According to the study, which was conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the real-estate recruitment firm Macdonald & Co, the lowest level of employee witnessed the highest gain, with trainees, fresh graduates, and associates' incomes rising 19 percent to US$22,959.

Because lower-level employees experienced the biggest pay raises, it's no surprise that Malaysia, which has the lowest incomes of the four countries polled (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia), outperformed.

However, the commodities-driven Malaysian economy has performed well at a time when China's economy is weakening, and both Hong Kong and Singapore have implemented property restrictions to dissuade non-local purchasers. Salary levels declined in both Hong Kong and Singapore, with brokers in both cities claiming that the government has slowed the local property market to a crawl, making it difficult for them to stay in business.

Malaysia's GDP is growing at a steady and respectable rate, according to HSBC, which predicts growth of 5.2 percent this year and 5.0 percent in 2015. China continues to lead the region, with an expected growth rate of 7.4% this year, down from 10.4% in 2010 and many years of double-digit growth prior to that.

In the Asian real estate industry, job turnover is high, with 62 percent of respondents saying they are "pretty likely" or "very likely" to change employment in the following year. Employers in locations like Hong Kong and Singapore say the rate of "churn" and the capacity to obtain adequately qualified individuals for job openings are two of the most significant difficulties they face.

Employees value their salary the greatest, but health insurance is the most popular benefit. It was also a great bonus to have a five-day work week - six days was common in most parts of Asia until multinational firms began offering two-day weekends - and to provide them with a mobile phone and service.

In November 2013 and January 2014, 1,525 Asian real estate experts from all throughout Asia took part in the poll. In total, 30% of respondents stated they had more than 21 years of industry experience. Almost half of those surveyed (46%) work for their organization as managers or colleagues.

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